Chapter Summaries

Xu Fan struggled to survive as a fisherman under the Canal Gang’s exploitative rules and hoped the [Taiji Dao Evolution Diagram] would change his circumstances. When the diagram absorbed moonlight beneath the full moon, Xu Fan vanished from his boat.

• Xu Fan recalled that the [Taiji Dao Evolution Diagram] needed moonlight beneath a full moon to awaken, while he prepared to sell his catch and buy supplies.
• At the fish market, Zhao He exposed Lin Chu for hiding silver and ordered the clerks to take one of Lin Chu’s arms.
• Xu Fan sold his fish, paid the fish market’s cut, and bought crude salt and brown rice before returning to his boat.
• Xu Fan considered joining the water bandits to gain a chance to learn martial arts and waited for the full moon.
• At the late-night hour of the rat, the [Taiji Dao Evolution Diagram] absorbed moonlight until Xu Fan vanished from his black-canopied boat.

Xu Fan used the Taiji Dao Evolution Diagram to travel to a cultivation world and found a fifth-grade Supreme Yin cultivation method. After True Person Qingsong killed the Lu Household’s head and his son, he mistook Xu Fan for a powerful member of the Solar lineage, and Xu Fan vanished before him.

• Xu Fan arrived at Shushui Peak and learned that the Taiji Dao Evolution Diagram could carry him between worlds and record and evolve cultivation techniques.
• Xu Fan read the Plain Luminary Supreme Yin Wondrous Instruction and discovered it was a fifth-grade cultivation method.
• Lu Shifeng and Lu Qinghe discussed their household’s danger after Lu Qingyun’s failed Purple Mansion breakthrough and the Red Pine Sect’s demands.
• True Person Qingsong appeared, rejected the Lu father and son’s claims about a powerful patron, and killed them.
• True Person Qingsong mistook Xu Fan for a cultivator of the Solar lineage, but Xu Fan disappeared without leaving a trace.

Xu Fan cultivated the Plain Luminary Supreme Yin Wondrous Instruction, quickly formed a Mystic Scene Wheel, and used his new Law Power to catch a treasure fish. After selling it at the fish market, he noticed that Liang Chi, another fisherman, had unusually abundant Qi and Blood.

• Xu Fan began cultivating beneath the moon and discovered that he could absorb spiritual vitality and condense Fetal Breathing Spiritual Qi.
• After seven days of cultivation, Xu Fan formed a Mystic Scene Wheel, entered the Embryonic Breathing Realm, and gained Law Power.
• Xu Fan used Law Power to locate and catch a Silver Moon Rainbow Trout, deciding he could risk selling treasure fish for a better living.
• Xu Fan sold the trout to Qian Jiao, who undercounted its weight, but Xu Fan accepted the payment without complaint.
• Xu Fan spotted Liang Chi arriving with another treasure fish and sensed that Liang Chi had unusually abundant Qi and Blood.

Xu Fan spent money at a tavern and learned that a practitioner of the Wedding Robe Divine Art had appeared in Yin Mountain Prefecture, while the Clearwater Sect searched for a stolen spiritual treasure. He bought supplies and planned to use Peach Blossom Spring Lake’s treasured fish to support his cultivation, but grew wary that Liang Chi might practice the forbidden art.

• Xu Fan heard that rice prices had risen because a Wedding Robe Divine Art practitioner was attacking escorts and evading the Brocade-Clad Guards.
• Xu Fan ordered an expensive meal at a tavern, using his silver to discourage local ruffians from targeting him while he listened for news.
• Tavern patrons said the Clearwater Sect had joined the hunt after the devil killed one of its True Disciples and stole a spiritual treasure discovered in Peach Blossom Spring Lake.
• Xu Fan bought white rice and government salt, then returned to his boat and decided to eat treasured fish from the lake to nourish his cultivation.
• Xu Fan recalled that Liang Chi was stronger than the fish market’s manager and had sold treasured fish, then wondered whether Liang Chi had learned the Wedding Robe Divine Art and resolved to be careful.

Xu Fan ate a Single-Horned Pomfret and realized treasure fish could greatly accelerate his cultivation. After learning that a strange celestial phenomenon had brought more treasure fish and exotic beasts to the lake, he planned to keep fishing while avoiding the deep water.

• Xu Fan watched uninvited guests visit Liang Chi's boat, then ate a Single-Horned Pomfret and refined its spiritual essence.
• Xu Fan concluded that eating treasure fish could help him form the Chengming Wheel quickly, while deciding to wait for the full moon before charging the [Taiji Dao Evolution Diagram].
• Half a month later, Old Man Huang told Xu Fan that a celestial phenomenon had sent spiritual matter into the lake, bringing treasure fish and exotic beasts into the shallows.
• Xu Fan learned that fishermen were risking their lives to catch treasure fish and change their household status, while he sold his catch and bought white rice.
• Xu Fan returned to the reed marsh and searched its edges for treasure fish that had escaped his net or recently arrived.

Xu Fan killed Li Dahe and Li Eryu after they tried to seize his treasure fish, then returned to the Land of Wu to barter the fish for cultivation spells. He found Shushui Peak in turmoil over the Lu Household’s destruction and stepped outside to investigate.

• Xu Fan caught a Scarlet Blood Perch and decided to visit the Land of Wu to learn about martial masters and seek spells.
• Li Dahe and Li Eryu boarded Xu Fan’s boat and demanded the Scarlet Blood Perch as tribute.
• Xu Fan killed both brothers, took their Single-Horned Pomfret, and sank their boat and bodies near the deep-water zone.
• Xu Fan returned to Shushui Peak with two treasure fish and heard that the Lu Household had been wiped out and looters had entered the estate.
• Xu Fan went outside to investigate the commotion, and a cultivator asked when he had entered the courtyard.

Xu Fan and Zhang Yaozu traveled from Shushui Peak to Flowing Cloud Market to trade the spiritual objects they had gathered. Xu Fan bought a Golden Light Technique and asked about methods for gathering Emperor Flow Serum and Moonlight Yin Qi, but Old Man Xu doubted he could gather Supreme Yin Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi.

• Xu Fan met Zhang Yaozu, who had cultivated through the Plain Luminary Supreme Yin Wondrous Instruction, and agreed to travel with him to Flowing Cloud Market.
• Zhang Yaozu explained that cultivators from Foundation Establishment Aristocratic Clans would soon compete for Shushui Peak's spiritual objects and ownership.
• Xu Fan and Zhang Yaozu entered Flowing Cloud Market by showing their spiritual objects as proof of assets.
• Old Man Xu offered one Spirit Stone per jin for Xu Fan's two fish and one Spirit Stone each for Zhang Yaozu's six Spirit Origin Fruits.
• Xu Fan selected an eight-Spirit-Stone Golden Light Technique and asked Old Man Xu about gathering Emperor Flow Serum and Moonlight Yin Qi.

Xu Fan learned that Great Yin Spiritual Qi had vanished from the Land of Wu and bought methods and records before leaving the market. After evading a Buddhist monk’s recruitment, he returned to Peach Blossom Spring Lake and confirmed that he could gather Moonlight Yin Qi there.

• Old Man Xu explained that Great Yin Spiritual Qi had vanished from the Land of Wu, so cultivators had to switch lineages or rely on what predecessors had left behind.
• Xu Fan bought the Golden Light Technique, the Miscellaneous Records of the Land of Wu, and the Moonlight Yin Qi Gathering Method, while Zhang Yaozu remained anxious about his cultivation.
• Juexin approached Xu Fan, urged him to join the Buddhist Land, and gave him a Jade Slip containing the Great Universal Dharma Flower Return to Oneness Scripture.
• Xu Fan threw away the Jade Slip and returned to Peach Blossom Spring Lake after finding a deserted place to leave the Land of Wu.
• Xu Fan successfully gathered Moonlight Yin Qi at Peach Blossom Spring Lake and realized he would need a jade bottle to store it.

Xu Fan brought a large Scarlet Blood Perch to the fish market and learned that treasure fish and exotic beasts were increasing in Peach Blossom Spring Lake. When Qian Jiao announced a higher stall fee, Lin Chu revealed his newfound power and attacked the fish market.

• Xu Fan sold a Scarlet Blood Perch weighing more than ten jin and heard that Liang Chi had caught a meter-long Blood Dragon Sturgeon in the shallows.
• Old Man Huang told Xu Fan that more than twenty people had disappeared with their boats as exotic beasts grew more active in the lake.
• Qian Jiao announced that the fish market's stall fee would rise from sixty to seventy percent, angering the fishermen.
• Xu Fan sensed that Lin Chu, who had returned after losing an arm, possessed Qi and Blood far beyond Qian Jiao's.
• Lin Chu declared that he would make the fish market and Canal Gang pay for his arm, revealing that he had become a blood-exchange martial master by devouring Qi and Blood and consuming treasure fish.
• Qian Jiao attacked Lin Chu, but Lin Chu punched through his chest and drained him into a dried corpse with the Wedding Robe Divine Art.

Lin Chu exposed his cultivation of the Wedding Robe Divine Art at the fish market, killed Zhao He, and drove Li Tieyi to flee before escaping himself. A month later, Xu Fan had mastered the Golden Light Technique and planned to sell a treasure fish while checking the fish market and seeking a way to enter the city.

• Xu Fan recognized Lin Chu’s Wedding Robe Divine Art, while Zhao He and Li Tieyi arrived and identified the evil technique.
• Lin Chu struck Li Tieyi, then killed Zhao He and devoured his Qi and Blood to reach the same Blood Exchange stage as Li Tieyi.
• Li Tieyi fled from Lin Chu, who left the fish market after vowing to destroy the Canal Gang; Xu Fan killed an attendant and took the cash.
• A month later, Xu Fan used the Golden Light Technique to catch a Red-Backed Cutlassfish and assessed his progress toward forming the Circulation Wheel.
• Xu Fan decided not to return to the Land of Wu yet and planned to sell the fish at the market while finding a way to change his lowborn status and enter the city.

Xu Fan learned that Lin Chu had escaped the Northern Pacification Office’s assault and that a Grandmaster-level exotic beast lurked in Peach Blossom Spring Lake, while realizing someone had noticed his unusual purchases. A woman from the Clearwater Sect dismissed Xu Fan as unimpressive and asked whether Liang Chi would join her sect.

• Xu Fan overheard that Lin Chu had consumed the martial artists of twelve water strongholds with the Wedding Robe Divine Art, then escaped grievously wounded after a Brocade-Clad Guard’s Hundred Household Commander attacked him.
• Xu Fan connected the treasure fish surge to the heavenly phenomenon and suspected the Grandmaster-level exotic beast in Peach Blossom Spring Lake was involved.
• Xu Fan realized someone had investigated him, but decided he could retreat to the Land of Wu if he could not defeat whoever was watching him.
• Old Man Huang told Xu Fan that he and his sons had caught treasure fish and tried to arrange a match between Xu Fan and his daughter, Er Ya.
• The jade shop owner told the veiled woman in blue that Xu Fan was a fisherman who had cultivated his Qi and Blood after his parents died, and she dismissed his progress as unimpressive.
• The woman in blue asked whether Liang Chi had decided to join the Clearwater Sect, noting that he had completed his second Blood Exchange and could reach the Grandmaster Realm.

A woman in a green dress prepared to use Lin Chu to lure Jiang Yunhe out so she could take his Emperor Flow Serum. Xu Fan formed his Circulation Wheel, then found that the fish market had executed Old Man Huang for secretly selling treasure fish, and silently vowed to avenge him.

• The woman in the green dress explained why Jiang Yunhe was likely to target another practitioner of the Wedding Robe Divine Art and revealed that she wanted his Emperor Flow Serum to master a second Martial Dao True Intention.
• Xu Fan formed the Circulation Wheel, improved his Golden Light Technique, and decided to keep a low profile while cultivating further.
• Xu Fan went to the fish market to sell a Silver Moon Rainbow Trout and saw Old Man Huang's corpse tied beside the notice board.
• Li Tieyi warned the fishermen against privately selling treasure fish, while Old Man Huang's sons wept but dared not remove their father's body.
• Xu Fan silently vowed to avenge Old Man Huang, then entered the fish market without revealing himself.

Xu Fan sold another treasure fish and learned that Li Tieyi suspected he had secretly practiced martial arts, while Li plotted to seize his technique for Master Qian. At the Rosy Cloud Tavern, Xu Fan treated Old Kong and Old Xu to a meal and prepared to ask how he could shed his lowborn status and enter the city.

• Li Tieyi tested Xu Fan’s strength, then offered to cut his share of the treasure-fish sales to fifty percent while privately hoping to take Xu Fan’s martial art for Master Qian.
• Xu Fan avoided confronting Li Tieyi in public and decided that any attack would be safer at night.
• Xu Fan went to the Rosy Cloud Tavern, where Old Kong and Old Xu teased him about selling another treasure fish.
• Xu Fan invited Old Kong and Old Xu to share wine and meat, intending to ask them how to shed his lowborn status and enter the city.
• Xu Fan discreetly scanned the tavern with Law Power and relaxed after finding no suspicious-looking patrons.

Xu Fan learned about Wuling County’s powers and the difficulty of escaping lowborn status, then went to kill Li Tieyi before the Canal Gang could target him. Meanwhile, Lin Chu also headed toward the new steward’s courtyard, and Li Tieyi prepared to ambush Xu Fan, leaving the encounter imminent.

• Old Kong and Old Xu told Xu Fan about Wuling County’s gangs, great households, martial arts schools, and the Clearwater Sect.
• Xu Fan asked how to shed lowborn status, and Old Xu explained the official requirements and the bribes and corruption that made it difficult.
• After the old men left, Xu Fan went to Li Tieyi’s residence, suspecting the Canal Gang would soon come after him.
• Xu Fan spotted Lin Chu heading toward the new steward’s courtyard and decided Lin Chu could take the blame for what happened.
• Li Tieyi dressed for a night operation and waited near Xu Fan’s destination, then called out when he sensed someone approaching.

Xu Fan killed Li Tieyi and took his hidden money while Lin Chu escaped a trap set by the Brocade-Clad Guard. Jiang Yunhe and Lan Ci each tried to use Lin Chu to draw the other out, leaving Zhu Xiuwen and Lan Ci to cooperate in hunting Jiang Yunhe for the Emperor Flow Serum.

• Xu Fan killed Li Tieyi, searched his room, and took a hundred-tael silver note and six silver ingots.
• Lin Chu killed the baited deputy gang leader, realized the trap had failed to bring out the Brocade-Clad Guard commander, and fled the fish market.
• Jiang Yunhe watched Lin Chu escape and resolved to avoid breaking through before his ninth Blood Exchange, fearing stronger practitioners of the Wedding Robe Divine Art.
• Zhu Xiuwen questioned Lan Ci about not searching the fish market, and explained why he had allowed Lin Chu to escape as bait for Jiang Yunhe.
• Lan Ci explained that she was relying on Jiang Yunhe's fear and greed to provoke him into attacking the Northern Pacification Office and seeking the Emperor Flow Serum.
• Zhu Xiuwen agreed to cooperate with Lan Ci.

Xu Fan visited Flowing Cloud Market to buy the Divine Movement Technique and learned that the Great Universal Dharma Flower Return to Oneness Scripture turned its practitioners into replaceable Buddhist clones. He refused Shopkeeper Xu’s offer to join the Luo Clan and left for Yishan City.

• Xu Fan hid his silver, caught two treasure fish, and used the Taiji Dao Evolution Diagram to leave his boat empty.
• Xu Fan bought the Divine Movement Technique from Shopkeeper Xu, who realized he had already condensed the Circulation Wheel.
• Xu Fan asked about the Great Universal Dharma Flower Return to Oneness Scripture, and Shopkeeper Xu warned that its practitioners became replaceable clones for Buddhist cultivators.
• Shopkeeper Xu offered Xu Fan a chance to join the Luo Clan and gave him a communication talisman, but Xu Fan declined for the time being.
• Xu Fan left Flowing Cloud Market and reached Yishan City, marveling at its size and setting in the mountainside.

Xu Fan entered Yishan City, learned about the Land of Wu, and spent half a month mastering the Divine Movement Technique before leaving. Luo Qiuze arranged to kill him, but Xu Fan’s death sent him back to Peach Blossom Spring Lake, where he learned he would need a year of sun and moon essence before returning to that world.

• Xu Fan entered Yishan City, hired a girl in green to guide him, and chose to stay in the outer city while asking about the Red Pine Sect and the Luo Clan.
• After half a month, Xu Fan left the city with his money spent and tested his newly mastered Divine Movement Technique.
• Luo Qiuze learned Xu Fan had asked about joining the Three Sects and Four Schools and ordered his death, deciding Zhang Yaozu was enough for his grandfather.
• A dark streak struck Xu Fan on the road, immobilizing him with incantation script until his body turned into bloody mist.
• Xu Fan reappeared on his boat at Peach Blossom Spring Lake and learned from the Taiji Dao Evolution Diagram that he had to absorb a year of sun and moon essence before returning to the Land of Wu.

After months of hiding at Peach Blossom Spring Lake, Xu Fan grew stronger and returned to the fish market with a Blood Dragon Sturgeon to sell. There, he encountered Old Man Kong and confronted the new manager, Chen Hai.

• Xu Fan spent more than three months catching treasure fish, condensing the Azure Origin Wheel, and charging the Taiji Dao Evolution Diagram halfway.
• Xu Fan caught a Blood Dragon Sturgeon and took it to the fish market, where the fee collector recognized him and accepted the usual payment.
• Xu Fan found Old Man Kong shivering outside and told him to come along.
• Xu Fan brought the sturgeon to the fish buyer and demanded that the manager be summoned.
• Chen Hai arrived, introduced himself as the new fish market manager, and asked Xu Fan what he wanted.

Xu Fan forced Chen Hai to grant him a higher price for prized fish and transfer Old Man Kong’s seized fields, allowing him to change his household status. Meanwhile, Lan Ci dismissed Xu Fan as unworthy of her attention and prepared for Lin Chu’s coming strike against the Canal Gang as she waited for Jiang Yunhe.

• Xu Fan persuaded Chen Hai to pay ten taels per jin for prized fish and transfer Old Man Kong’s fields to him so he could register as a farming household.
• Xu Fan told Old Man Kong he could farm the fields for wages, and two fish market ruffians brought the land deed to Rosy Cloud Tavern.
• Chen Hai warned his overseer that Xu Fan might have completed his second Blood Exchange and said the Canal Gang would deal with him later.
• Lan Ci rejected the jade shopkeeper’s suggestion that she recruit Xu Fan, saying she was focused on Jiang Yunhe and the Emperor Flow Serum.
• The shopkeeper told Lan Ci that Lin Chu was preparing to attack the Canal Gang’s people, and Lan Ci said she would be ready to intervene if a fight broke out.

Jiang Yunhe went to Peach Blossom Spring Lake to kill Xu Fan and devour his Qi and Blood, but Xu Fan killed him with a single strike. Xu Fan looted Jiang Yunhe’s belongings, discovered a mysterious golden fruit, and disposed of the body in the lake.

• Jiang Yunhe decided to risk attacking Xu Fan, hoping to recover from his injuries and later devour Lin Chu.
• Jiang Yunhe confronted Xu Fan on his boat and revealed that he cultivated the Wedding Robe Divine Art.
• Xu Fan used the Divine Movement Technique and Golden Light Technique to strike Jiang Yunhe down before he could react.
• Xu Fan searched Jiang Yunhe’s corpse, recorded the Wedding Robe Divine Art and bone-shrinking disguise method, and found a glowing golden fruit.
• Xu Fan discarded Jiang Yunhe’s body parts in the lake, where strange beasts were drawn by the blood.